


Watching As I Fall

by StreetSoldierin



Series: HQ Olympics Bang Pieces [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Accidents, Blood, Enemies to Lovers, Equestrian, Fanart, First Kiss, Getting Together, Haikyuu Olympics Bang, Horseback Riding, Hurt Kuroo Tetsurou, M/M, Swearing, do they wanna punch or kiss each other, eventing, injuries, it remains a mystery, or maybe enemies AND lovers, rated T bc they're both foul-mouthed idiots, worried Daishou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25787089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StreetSoldierin/pseuds/StreetSoldierin
Summary: Kuroo and Daishou have always been rivals. They've always been competitive and they grew into the eventing sport together, so when they both reach their dream of going to the Olympics, it's really not a matter of who takes the gold or not, it's a matter of who manages to score higher than the other.They didn't count on a loose dog on the track though, and when Kuroo takes a nasty fall, it puts some things in perspective for both of them.
Relationships: Daishou Suguru/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: HQ Olympics Bang Pieces [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887652
Comments: 4
Kudos: 115
Collections: Haikyuu Olympics Bang





	Watching As I Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Even though the Olympics didn't happen this year, this bang still did and boy am I glad about it.
> 
> I want to say thank you to the mods for calling such an amazing project to life. It was so well-organized and I absolutely loved participating.  
> Another special thanks goes out to Sarah, who wasn't only the artist of the amazing masterpiece you can see below, but who also beta-read everything for me. Thanks again!

Art by [Sarah](https://www.instagram.com/davinshit.dsg/)

* * *

“You think he’ll get this one with the short route?” Yaku asked and took a look at the monitor where Kuroo was currently racing his stallion down the canter slope. Daishou and him were positioned on the side lines, a bit distanced from the crowd but still close enough that they could see the water pond obstacle clearly.

Daishou scowled at the monitor when it zoomed in on Kuroo’s stupid grin that had become somewhat of his trademark in his young career. It was obnoxious, to say the least.

“He might,” he answered and glanced at the obstacle in front of them, “if he gets his horse to back off a little. Might be difficult with getting the three and three strides at that speed.”

Kuroo and his stallion were known for their speed, but due to the horse's eagerness their technique suffered and became a little sloppy. Especially this obstacle would be a big challenge for them, which was why Daishou had chosen to come here to watch, not that Kuroo ever needed to know about that.

Daishou’s round himself was over already, and he was fairly content with his performance, though this particular obstacle had cost him a few seconds of time, but he was still up there on the leaderboard and he knew that everything was subject to change with the showjumping competition still pending.  
Kuroo’s dressage score had been considerably good as well, and he was riding a very good time without penalties this far. If he made it through without a slip up, he might just place before Daishou.   
The latter scowled at that thought and concentrated his gaze on the monitor again where Kuroo’s stallion was still going in full-speed with long, fast canter strides. Not long now until they would arrive at the corner here.

“He should slow down already,” Yaku said and took a sip from his water bottle, eyes glued to the screen. “The turn will be a bitch at that speed.”

Daishou scoffed. “You know how he is. No turn is too tight if his horse isn’t toppling over.”

“True,” Yaku snickered, “and the most infuriating thing is that he can always pull it off. Should have become a barrel racer.”

“What a pain,” Daishou grumbled and looked away from the screen to the corner where Kuroo would appear any second now.

As predicted, he came racing around the corner just a heartbeat later and Daishou’s breath fell out of rhythm for a moment when he took in the terrifyingly fast pace. This damn idiot really was way too reckless in these tight turns, and Daishou could already hear their coach yelling at him later for not listening to him and not reining his horse back a little - but it wouldn’t matter a whole lot, because it would end like it always did: with a fond huff and a pat on the shoulder. Because fact was, Kuroo was well on his way to winning his first-ever Olympic medal. As much as he annoyed Daishou, the latter still had to acknowledge his talent.

He watched the strides of Kuroo’s horse and the distance to the next obstacle - a large tree trunk lying sideways. There was quite the drop behind it, and after it the water of the pond was only one stride away, followed by another trunk in the water another two strides later - if one managed to hold the line, and get the distance right, that was. It was a very difficult question, the hardest in the entire course in Daishou’s opinion.

He was concentrating so hard on figuring out if Kuroo would be able to get the distance right that he paid no attention to his surroundings, not until Yaku suddenly cursed, “Fuck, there’s a dog on the track!”

Daishou furrowed his brows, eyes finding a red ball of fur zooming by, and his breath caught in his throat when it registered in his brain that it was indeed a loose dog, and it was heading directly for Kuroo’s horse.

From there on, it happened really fast.

Kuroo was almost at the first fence, his stallion preparing to jump when the dog shot out from behind the trunk, barking and snapping at the horse’s legs. The stallion reared back, or tried to, but he had already been halfway to pushing off the ground with his hind legs and couldn’t lose the momentum fast enough, which resulted in him rearing into the air with his front, but not jumping high enough with his back legs which caught on the trunk, and then both horse and rider toppled over the fence.

Daishou saw it all like it was happening in slow-motion. Even from where he was standing he could see the surprise on Kuroo’s face when the dog suddenly appeared, and then he was flung into the air by the sudden rear and the awkward jump, trying and not quite succeeding in holding on to his horse, but his center of gravity had been too far in the front from being ready for a proper jump so he didn’t stand a chance of staying on. 

As his horse toppled over the fence and frantically scrambled to get to its feet again, Kuroo was thrown out of the saddle and collided with the trunk. Hard.   
The “thunk” from where one of the stallion’s hooves connected with his helmet in its frenzy rang loud and clear in Daishou’s ears, and then Kuroo slid to the ground.

He didn’t get up.

It was eerily silent for a few seconds, and then Daishou moved as if on autopilot. 

He thought he might have heard Yaku yelling something, but he couldn’t care less in this moment, he jumped the barrier in one swift movement and then his feet carried him over to where Kuroo was still lying on his side, his horse standing a few feet away in the water, looking down on him as if wondering what on earth he was doing there.

Daishou had seen Kuroo fall off his horse several times. It kind of came with the job description to eat dust every once in a while, but usually falls were caused by misjudged distances or unfortunate landings, not this.

And if there was one thing Daishou had come to learn in his many years in the sport, it was that if a rider wasn’t immediately getting up after a fall, it was a very, very bad sign.

From the corner of his eyes he could see the paramedics running towards them, but he was there first and dropped to his knees in the mud next to Kuroo. His eyes were opened just slightly, but his gaze seemed disoriented and his brows were scrunched up, not a look that Daishou was used to seeing on Kuroo’s face, and while one arm was splayed out in front of him, the other was cradled to his chest. His breathing came too fast and too shallow, and there was blood dripping from his lip into the dirt.  
The whole pictures sent an unpleasant shiver down Daishou’s spine, and seconds later the paramedics were at their side.

“Sir, please move aside.”

“I’m his teammate,” Daishou breathed, but moved out of their way to let them do their job anyways.

“Hello, sir, can you hear me?” one of them asked and tried to catch Kuroo’s gaze, while the other was already getting a neck brace and a stretcher ready. This was so surreal, this couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t.

Kuroo gave no response, but when they put the neck brace on him and rolled him onto his back, a sound that resembled a choked sob escaped his throat, followed by a pained groan.

Daishou detachedly registered someone coming to take Kuroo’s horse away, as well as the dog being caught and brought off track - that damned dog. Hot boiling rage shot through Daishou’s veins, but he couldn’t let his emotions get the best of him, not now, so he breathed out through his mouth to steady himself and joined the paramedics when they asked him to help them lift Kuroo on the stretcher and then on a gurney.

It was very obvious that Kuroo wasn’t entirely conscious, or at least not fully aware of his surroundings, but he kept making pained noises when they lifted him up, and then when the paramedics started strapping him to the gurney, his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Daishou by the wrist.   
The sudden movement took Daishou by surprise, he glanced down at Kuroo who was looking up through half-lidded and tear-filled eyes, and something shattered in Daishou’s chest. He reached out and gripped his hand firmly in his own.

Then there was a sound that he couldn’t quite catch at first because Kuroo’s breathing was still ragged and way too fast, but then there it was for a second time, a little clearer than the first.

“’shou,” Kuroo murmured and his hand trembled in Daishou’s, making the latter hold on even tighter. Kuroo’s voice was strained and raspy, making it hard to understand, but Daishou could make it out anyways.

Daishou just gripped his hand a little tighter, lost for words because _what was he supposed to say_ , and when the paramedics signaled him they’d start rolling the gurney off-track now, he nodded and walked alongside them, not once letting go of Kuroo’s hand.   
A few tears escaped the other’s eyes now and rolled down his cheeks, accompanied by some low whines, but it seemed he didn’t have the energy to let on more than that.

“We’ll go straight to the ambulance,” one of the paramedics said, “do you have a ride, sir?”

“Yeah, my car is by the stables,” Daishou replied without taking his eyes off Kuroo. He had never seen the other like this, because sure, they had been witness to each other’s bad moods and frustration before, but even during those times, Kuroo rarely ever dropped his attitude, the only time when he ever did was when he was furious enough to be serious.   
But this? He looked scared, more than that, his gaze seemed so lost, and Daishou didn’t have a single fucking clue how to deal with that.

When they arrived at the ambulance, Kuroo didn’t let go of his wrist.

“Sir,” the paramedic tried, “we don’t have enough space.”

“I know that,” Daishou replied and tried to let go, but despite Kuroo’s current state, he still had his wrist in a vice grip. “Get off, I’ll follow by car.”

“’n leave,” Kuroo murmured, gaze still unfocused as he tried to look Daishou in the eye.

If Daishou had ever expected something to break his cold heart, this scenario sure as hell hadn’t been it. But here they were, and fuck did it hurt.

“Kuroo,” he tried again, sounding more civil than he ever had with the other, “You’re wasting time, so let go and let them take care of you.” When Kuroo still hesitated, he added, “I promise I’ll be right behind you.”

There was another stifled sob, but the grip on Daishou’s wrist loosened and Kuroo’s hand fell limply to his side. It felt strange to let go, but he knew he had to let the paramedics do their job and he would only be in the way, worst case, it would endanger Kuroo even further, so he pushed his emotions as far back in his mind as he could - he was used to doing that, at least.

One of the paramedics gave him a nod and they started loading the gurney into the ambulance. “We’ll inform the hospital that you’re on your way, just ask at the reception.”

“Thank you,” Daishou replied and caught Kuroo’s unfocused gaze one last time to give him what he hoped was a reassuring nod before the ambulance door closed.

Then he turned around, and ran.

He heard someone call out his name, but he didn’t pay it any mind, not until he arrived at his car and Yaku almost barreled into him.

“Shit,” he panted and snatched the keys from Daishou’s hands, “since when do you run so fast?”

“What are you doing?” Daishou hissed and tried to take the keys back, but Yaku closed his fist around them.

“No way, you’re not driving a car like this. Seriously, you’ll kill someone.”

“Stop fucking around, I need to go to the hospital!” 

That scared look in Kuroo’s eyes had shaken him to the core, and the idiot had made him _promise_ to be there - what the actual fuck - and he couldn’t go back on a promise, no way.

“Yes,” Yaku replied, “but I’m driving. Get in.”

Maybe Daishou would have argued, but they were losing time and some tiny part of his brain knew that Yaku was probably right and he wasn’t in any state to participate in traffic right now, so he just cursed under his breath and scrambled to get in on the passenger side, Yaku taking his place behind the wheel.

The other looked spooked as well, but he had always been able to keep his cool even in dire situations, so he didn’t have any trouble driving responsibly - though to Daishou’s relief he was still really pushing the speed limits.  
They arrived at the parking lot of the hospital not too long after, and Daishou had already unbuckled and jumped out of the car before they even came to a halt, making a run for the entrance and nearly colliding with an elderly couple that was just making their way out of the building, but he somehow managed to get to the reception unscathed.

“I’m here for Kuroo Tetsurou,” he asked breathlessly as the nurse raised an eyebrow at his hasty entrance. “He should have been admitted not too long ago, a riding accident over at the Olympics?”

“Ah, right,” the nurse replied and typed something into her computer. “What’s your name?”

“Daishou Suguru.”

“Yes, the paramedics told us you were on your way. Your friend has been admitted with several injuries, but all I can tell you this far is that though some of them seem to be rather severe, he is not in critical condition. The doctor is still with him right now, but if you’d like to wait, I can inform you as soon as you can go see him.”

Daishou wanted to respond, but no words came. Not in critical condition, that was good news, very good, but somehow it did nothing to ease his nerves and he felt like he needed to do something, how was he supposed to just wait it out? But just as the silence dragged on a little too long to be considered a normal pause, Yaku appeared by Daishou’s side, outwardly far more collected than the latter.

“Hello, yes, thank you, we’ll be waiting over here.” He tugged on Daishou’s arm. “Come on.”

Only then did Daishou’s brain manage to spring to life again. “Could you… uh… is there any way you could let him know I’m here?” Screw the embarrassment, he needed to try at least. If Kuroo was going to make him promise something like this, at least he’d make sure he knew he wasn’t breaking that promise, otherwise he’d never hear the end of it.

Yaku had already opened his mouth, probably to tell him not to bother the nurses, but the woman’s gaze softened a little as she nodded. “Of course, I’ll pass it on.”

Yaku quirked an eyebrow, but collected himself quickly again and gave her a little bow, dragging Daishou down with him. “Thank you so much, we really appreciate it.”

“Thank you,” Daishou murmured as well, and the nurse nodded in response.

They went to the waiting area were several other people were sitting. Everyone looked rather nervous, the man two rows across from them was fiddling with his fingers and there was a couple who looked like they were on the verge of tears.  
Daishou didn’t really want to think about it, but luckily he found that even if he had wanted to, he couldn’t concentrate on anything else, not with how present that queasy feeling was in his mind. 

“I called the coach,” Yaku said, either to break the silence or to distract them both, Daishou couldn’t be sure which one it was, “and he said he’d contact Kuroo’s father, though he probably saw it on TV anyways.”

Daishou’s stomach twisted at the thought. Seeing it happen in real life had been bad enough, he couldn’t even imagine what it was like for Kuroo’s dad to see his only son take a horrifying fall like that on TV, without being able to get to him.   
What was worse, since Kuroo’s father had moved away from Tokyo and settled in the countryside with Kuroo’s grandparents, whose health had been less than optimal for the last few years, they hadn’t made it back to Tokyo to be there for the live events.  
Kuroo’s dad was still incredibly proud and supportive of his son, but now he was a five-hour drive away from this hospital.

“We should keep them updated. The nurse said he wasn’t in critical condition, it might have looked different on camera.”

It sure as hell had looked different live. There had been blood on Kuroo’s face, and his eyes had been glazed over, and he had been crying - proud, cocky Kuroo Tetsurou, crying. Daishou was sure the scene would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.

“I’ll shoot coach a text, he’ll forward it to Kuroo’s father,” Yaku replied and pulled out his phone. “Maybe try to calm yourself down a bit. As you said, he’s not in critical condition, and it won’t do anyone any good when you keep working yourself up into a frenzy.”

Daishou frowned and opened his mouth to retort something, but Yaku shot a pointed look at his hands which were frantically fiddling with his sleeves, so he settled for huffing out a sigh. Yaku was right, of course, he was totally freaking out, but since he couldn’t even pin-point why, exactly, he was having a hard time coming down from the panic.

Kuroo wasn’t in critical condition, sure, but that only meant he wasn’t dying, he could still be in a coma, or have all his bones broken, and- what if he was paralyzed?

“Whatever you’re thinking about to calm yourself, it’s clearly not working,” Yaku remarked dryly and typed out the last characters of his message before pocketing his phone again. “Kuroo is tough, he’ll be fine.”

“I know that,” Daishou growled. “I’m not worried about him, the asshole just caught me off guard flying off his horse all dramatically like that.”

Yaku just gave him a long stare before snorting and shaking his head as he said, “Who do you think you’re kidding?”

“I’m just telling it like it is.”

“Sure, that’s why it seemed like you were trying to compete in athletics rather than eventing when you sprinted to your car. And please, _“could you let him know I’m here”_? Seriously, Daishou, don’t you think it’s time the two of you got over yourselves and just admitted what’s obvious to literally everyone else?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t, it’s all just platonic tension between the two of you.”

Daishou thanked the gods that he wasn’t prone to blushing, because otherwise he might have been flaring red like a stop-sign by now. “I don’t even like the guy.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Everyone knows I hate his guts! And the feeling is obviously mutual, so whatever you’re trying to imply, you’re wrong.”

“I never doubted you hated each other.”

He paused, confused. “What?”

Yaku just shrugged nonchalantly and inspected his fingernails. “I know you both want to punch each other, I just think that apart from that, you simultaneously want to eat each other’s faces. It’s very obvious.”

“Oh shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He did not want, nor would he let his mind wander in that direction right now. This was a subject he wouldn’t even touch with a ten-foot pole, on one hand because it _just wasn’t true_ , what the fuck Yaku, it was just some glitch in his brain he had trained long and hard to shut the fuck up, and on the other hand because this truly wasn’t the place for it.

“Mhm,” Yaku just replied before checking his watch. “The last rider will start soon.”

In all the chaos, Daishou had all but forgotten about the competition. He knew he still had a good chance of climbing up into the top three after the show-jumping tomorrow but… somehow, competing without Kuroo felt off.   
For his entire career in the equestrian world, Kuroo had always been there at Daishou’s heels, taunting and teasing and pushing him to give his all - and though Daishou only begrudgingly admitted it, most of the times Kuroo had been just one tiny step ahead of him. As annoying as it was to always have him around, it had become a constant over the years.  
Riding a competition without chasing after him felt surreal somehow.

They waited for what felt like hours, though the clock said it wasn’t all that long, before the nurse came to give them an update.   
Kuroo had a few broken bones and some contusions, plus a mild concussion, but it wasn’t anything life-threatening, and though it would take time to heal, he would be fine eventually and that was a relief to hear.

Daishou asked if he could see him, and since he wasn’t unconscious anymore, the nurse allowed it.   
Yaku stayed behind to wait for the coach who was on his way to the hospital now that the competition had ended, and thus Daishou entered the room alone.

He braced himself before pushing the door open, but still nothing could have prepared him for the sight.

The blood had been washed off Kuroo’s face, but the cut on his lower lip was still very visible and the bruise on his cheek stood out strongly against the pale skin. His leg was in a cast all the way up to the middle of his thigh, his wrist was bandaged and Daishou was pretty sure he saw some stitches peeking out from under the sleeve of the hospital gown.  
Kuroo’s eyes had been closed, but he opened them when he heard the door open, blinking a few times to get used to the fluorescent light.

There was a tight feeling in Daishou’s chest he couldn’t quite place, so he blamed it on the strange situation since he had never seen Kuroo this hurt before.

“How’re you feeling?” 

It sounded a bit stiff but he couldn’t help it, everything about this was just weird. 

“Exactly how I look, probably,” Kuroo answered and tried to sit up in his bed a little straighter, “but not too bad. A little dizzy.”

“Yeah, a concussion will do that to you,” Daishou replied and stepped closer, sitting down on a chair next to the bed because he felt awkward standing around. “They probably have you hooked on all kinds of painkillers as well.”

“Doc said so, at least,” Kuroo replied and he was looking Daishou directly into the eye now. “Had you scared there for a sec, eh?” 

He looked exhausted, but the familiar teasing spark was back in his eyes, and Daishou was relieved to see it. He honestly wouldn’t have known how to deal with a vulnerable Kuroo again.

So he fell back into their familiar routine easily and scoffed, “Whatever floats your boat.”

“You totally were. I might’ve been not entirely conscious, but I do remember you jumping the barrier and running over.”

“I just wanted to tell you how stupid you looked falling off like that, but then you were just crying and babbling and probably wouldn’t even have heard, so it was no fun.”

“Aw, you so were worried about me. It’s okay, y’know, everyone knows you’re actually a softie.”

“I am _not_ , and it wasn’t me who was grabbing hands and refusing to get into the ambulance if I couldn’t join.”

That seemed to hit a nerve, because Kuroo’s smile slipped for a sec. It was hard to tell under the giant bruise covering his face, but Daishou would bet he saw him blushing a little. 

“Don’t let it go to your head. You could have been anyone, I was delirious.”

“So you address anyone by my name?”

Now the blush was very obvious even under the purple bruise. “You clearly just misheard.”

“Nice try, but I have witnesses.”

Kuroo huffed and averted his gaze with a pout, and Daishou was sure he’d cross his arms like a petulant child if it wasn’t for his wrist being all messed up. 

“So what if I did? You try breaking several bones, can’t a guy want some comfort when he’s in pain?”

“Who’s the softie now?”

“I hate you.”

“Beg to differ.”

“Then beg.”

Daishou grinned. “My, I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”

Groaning, Kuroo buried his face in his hands. “Why the fuck are you even here?”

“Because someone made me promise to be here.”

Judging by the lack of reaction, Kuroo clearly hadn’t remembered that, and Daishou would be lying if he said it wasn’t fun to watch him squirm a little. 

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know, ask your delirious brain.”

He huffed again. “Well, you’re here already I guess. How’s my horse? Did he get hurt?”

“No,” Daishou replied, dropping the sarcasm for a second because this was a serious topic, and even he wouldn’t joke about it, “he’s fine. You both were lucky with that fall.”

“Still will take a while before I get back on track,” Kuroo said and stared at the brace on his leg with a mix of disdain and sadness in his eyes.

“So what, at least your neck is still in one piece and your horse walked away without any injury, this could’ve been much worse.” He chuckled humorlessly. “With the speed you’re always going, anyone would have figured it would be a equitation mistake that would bring you down, but a damn _dog_ on the track of all things…”

Kuroo shrugged. “It’s not the dog’s fault.”

“No, please,” Daishou groaned, “don’t give me a whole holier-than-thou speech about how you’re not angry. I know you, there’s no way you’re not boiling with rage.” 

Because if he himself was so damn furious about the situation, Kuroo simply _couldn’t_ be calm about this. Daishou refused to accept that.

“It’s not that I’m not angry, of course I am, this took my chances for one of the greatest achievements in my career after all, but I think the owner is to blame, not the dog.” He smirked. “I just didn’t know _you_ would get so worked up. Shouldn’t you be glad you finally stand a chance?”

This was exactly what drove Daishou so mad, the fact that his brain somehow seemed to _care_ \- because he shouldn’t, technically, he hated to admit it but Kuroo had been one of his strongest competitors, and him dropping out of the race only gave Daishou an advantage, so he shouldn’t care, he should be glad, but his own damn mind just wouldn’t let him.

“You think I wanted to win like this? I would have beaten you regardless, but now I can’t prove it, of course it makes me mad.” 

That had to be the explanation for his irrational thoughts, it just had to.

Kuroo seemed to be enjoying this far too much. “You keep telling yourself that, I still think you’re secretly happy about it.”

“Do I _look_ happy to you, fuckhead?”

“Of course not, it could be the best day of your life and you’d still have a sneer on your face, that’s just how you look.”

“It is _not_.”

“Oh, or did you pay the owner to let her dog loose? Isn’t that your motto, that you’ll do anything to win?”

It was that sentence that made Daishou snap. Without thinking about Kuroo’s injuries, he surged forward and grabbed the other by the collar of the hospital gown, dragging him upwards so they were face to face.  
Kuroo let out a surprised noise and his brows scrunched up a little, but he didn’t seem to be in pain, so Daishou didn’t care.

“Listen here, you absolute dick,” he hissed, “I’ve had it with you and your fucking attitude. You always make a joke out of everything, and maybe that’s your method of coping with the fact that you were just forced to drop out of the Olympics, but I don’t fucking care.”

Kuroo opened his mouth to respond, but Daishou interrupted before even one sound could leave his lips. “I know you’re hurting, and I know you’re angry, but don’t take it out on me. You think I’m _happy_ you were hurt? You seriously think it was all fine and dandy for me to see you bleeding on the ground, mumbling my name like you were this close to dying? If you need to play it down to cope then go ahead, but leave me the hell out of it!”

“Daishou…”

“I’m not _heartless_ , okay? I might be fucked up in some regard, but I’d never be glad about anyone getting hurt, even if it gives me an advantage.”

“Daishou, I’m sorry.” Kuroo’s gaze was sincere as he reached up with his healthy hand and wrapped it around Daishou’s which was still gripping his collar. 

They stared at each other, Kuroo sincerely apologetic and Daishou breathing heavily, before the latter huffed and released his grip on Kuroo’s collar.

“Fuck you.”

“I’m sorry,” Kuroo repeated, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You can be such a fucking dick sometimes, you know that? And there’s still people thinking I’m the bigger asshole out of the two of us!”

“I mean, you’re not exactly a saint yourself.” Daishou narrowed his eyes, and Kuroo quickly kept on talking, “But yes, that was uncalled for, I know that. I know you’re not that cruel.”

“You’re just coping by running your mouth like the unbearable brat that you are.”

“Well, yeah. Maybe I am.” He looked down at his cast again. “I don’t really wanna think about it, if I make fun of it, it doesn’t seem so real.”

Daishou could tell in which direction this was headed, and he didn’t like it one bit. “If you cry, I’m going to make your mild concussion a _real_ one.”

Kuroo chuckled, but it sounded a little choked up already, and Daishou had the urge to punch something - though grantedly, his first aim of choice would not have been Kuroo’s face. “Sorry.”

“First you insult me and now you’re starting a pity party, huh?”

“I’m _not_ ,” he replied, but the sniffle that followed debunked that statement right away.

Daishou wanted to be mad. Scratch that, he _was_ mad, at a lot of things at the same time to be exact.   
He was mad at the dog owner for letting her stupid runt run wild, and at the dog itself because fuck you Kuroo, he could blame who or whatever he wanted. He was mad at Kuroo for being such an impossible dick, and for being so vulnerable now because Daishou didn’t know what to do with that, and he _hated_ it.   
And last of all, he was mad at himself, because all he wanted to do was reach out and be there for the crying asshole in front of him but at the same time he just kinda wanted to yell at him, and his mind was short circuiting because of it.

Summed up, he wasn’t just mad, he was _furious_ , and with all the anger pulsing through his veins his body acted like on autopilot when he grabbed Kuroo by the collar once again and pulled him closer to smash their lips together.

Kuroo let out a surprised noise that was muffled by the kiss, but Daishou didn’t care, all he cared about was getting this stupid idiot to shut the hell up, because he couldn’t stand him talking and he couldn’t stand seeing him cry either, so maybe this would do the trick. He had to do _something_ , right?

The kiss was anything but romantic, it was harsh and rough around the edges, but that was just how they worked and Daishou didn’t mind one bit. Apparently Kuroo didn’t either, given by the way he relaxed into it eventually, and his hands found their place on Daishou’s shoulders.

When they broke apart, there were still watery stains on Kuroo’s cheeks, but no fresh tears were falling from his wide eyes, and his face was flushed in a bright red that would make his riding uniform look pale in comparison.

“You…” he sputtered, unable to form coherent sentences. “That…”

“You’re gonna be okay, asshole,” Daishou grumbled. “Now stop crying, it’s gross.”

It seemed he had shell-shocked confident and cocksure Kuroo Tetsurou into shutting the hell up, and if he wasn’t so flustered by his own actions, maybe Daishou might have made fun of him for it.

After some moments of sputtering and regaining his composure, Kuroo finally managed to choke out, “What the hell was that?”

“A kiss, idiot.”

And finally, finally that stupid grin Daisou hate-loved made its way back onto Kuroo’s face as he let out an disbelieving laugh. Given he had been on the verge of a mental breakdown seconds ago, he had no business looking as blissed out as he did right now, but he did, and it made Daishou’s heart skip a bit.

“A kiss.”

“I just did it so you’d shut up.”

But Kuroo’s mood couldn’t be brought down anymore it seemed. “You _like_ me.”

For a moment Daishou considered just denying it all, but then again, he had already come this far, and no matter how much he squirmed and tried to fight it, he couldn’t keep this bottled up anymore. Screw it all.

“Unfortunately.”

Kuroo chuckled and reached out to grab Daishou’s hand, which made a jolt of electricity run through his body - so stupid, considering _he_ had been the one to kiss the guy only seconds ago, but it felt different now that Kuroo was reaching out on his own.

“Holy shit, Suguru, you’re the most unromantic person in existence.”

“Who said anything about romance?” Daishou grumbled and prayed to the gods he wasn’t blushing as hard as Kuroo was, this was embarrassing enough as it was.

“I think the kiss kinda implied that.”

“Just ‘cause I wanna kiss you doesn’t mean I can’t still simultaneously want to punch your teeth out.”

Kuroo laughed, and their gazes met once again. Daishou wanted to hate the sincere spark of happiness in those dark eyes, but on the other hand, no, not really. So what if he liked seeing it.

“Well,” Kuroo smiled and leaned in a little closer, “my face is right here, so take your pick.”

Daishou did not punch him that day.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading about these two hotheaded idiots as much as I enjoyed writing them!
> 
> Thanks again to the mods and to Sarah for the gorgeous fanart, and thanks to all you readers as well! Go check out the rest of the Olympic Bang, there's lots of amazing art and fics!


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